This delicious gluten-free spaghetti carbonara recipe is made without cream to recreate the authentic feel of this famous Italian dish!

SAVE THIS RECIPE!💌
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients
- Ready in 20-30 minutes
- Tastes like a well-made restaurant dish
- Carbonara sauce is made of melted Italian cheese and egg yolks that give this dish a unique and rich flavor
Ingredients
Makes 2 portions
Spaghetti - use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti brand!
Pancetta - traditionally pancetta is used in the authentic Italian carbonara dish but if you can't find it in the store, bacon will do!
Parmesan - I don't recommend buying already grated parmesan as it tends to not be pure.
Ingredient Substitutions
- You can use Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano (aka Parmesan), or even Grana Padano for this carbonara recipe. Some stores might not carry Pecorino Romano, but you probably will be able to find Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. Make sure your cheese is good quality and authentic Italian cheese!
- Gluten-free spaghetti or pasta penne are both good types of pasta for this recipe!
- You can use pancetta or bacon, however, traditional carbonara recipe calls for guanciale or pancetta. Guanciale is not easy to find, but pancetta should be available at your local grocery store. The difference between pancetta and bacon is that pancetta is salt-cured while bacon is smoked. I am using raw, not cured, not smoked bacon for my carbonara!
- Does carbonara use whole eggs? Yes and no. You need to use 1 whole egg plus 2 egg yolks if you are making the recipe for 2 people. If you were making this carbonara recipe for 4 people, you would use 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks.
It is super important to use yolks in this recipe as they add that rich flavor you won’t get with whole eggs only. So, don't substitute yolks for whole eggs. In fact, you can even add an extra egg yolk per person!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 - Prepare the tools
The process will require quick action, so it is best to be prepared with all your tools ahead of time. Make sure you have:
- a medium size pot for boiling pasta,
- a pan for frying the meat,
- a metal bowl for the egg mixture,
- tongs for handling pasta,
- a spatula to stir the bacon,
- a whisk for the eggs.
Step 2 - boil the pasta
Boil some water in a kettle and fill the pot just enough to cover the pasta. You want to have as much starch as possible in the pasta water to create the perfect creaminess for your carbonara, for this reason, you don’t want to use a huge pot with way too much water.
Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cover the pot. You want to stir your pasta in the beginning so that it doesn’t end up sticking.
Boil the pasta for about 9-10 minutes or until al dente (not quite yet done, but almost).
Step 3 - fry the meat
While your pasta is boiling, chop the bacon (or pancetta) and fry it for about 7 minutes in olive oil on low heat.
Step 4 – Prepare the eggs
While the meat is sizzling away and the pasta is swimming in a hot bath we will prepare the egg and cheese mix. Add the egg and the egg yolks together and whisk. Grate the cheese, add the black pepper, and whisk to combine. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
Step 5 – add the pasta with the bacon
When your pasta is ready, transfer it from the pot to the frying pan where the bacon is. Swirl the pasta a little bit so that it picks up the pork fat and the oil from the pan. Leave in the pan until the next step.
Step 6 – bringing the sauce together
Scoop about ½ cup of pasta water out and set aside. Bring the rest of the pasta water to a simmer and place the metal bowl with eggs over it to create a double boiler (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water or the eggs will curdle). Add the pasta to the eggs and start stirring vigorously to make sure you don’t create scrambled eggs. Add the pasta water you set aside to the mix to add more creaminess to the sauce.
If you think your sauce is too thin, then keep the pasta over the boiler for longer until the liquids evaporate and the sauce thickens. If your sauce is too thick, then add more pasta water!
Step 7 – serve and enjoy!
Serve carbonara right away as the sauce will become hard over time. Top with some black pepper and grated cheese!
Storage
Carbonara is best fresh but if you must, you can store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It is not recommended to freeze carbonara!
Expert Tips
- Add those egg yolks! I know it is tempting to just toss whole eggs into the sauce to avoid wasting food, but trust me, adding yolks without the whites is worth it! I made carbonara before, using whole eggs only, as I hate having egg white sitting in the fridge for days, and I can very confidently say that you will be better off going the extra mile and separating the yolks from the whites. There are plenty of recipes you can use egg whites in! I make pancakes or sandwiches with mine.
- Don’t use regular cheese with this recipe. Make sure to have one (or more) of the following: Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano, or Grana Padano. I use Grana Padano in my carbonara and absolutely love it!
- Serve carbonara fresh. Your pasta dish will harden if you cool and reheat it, however, the flavors will stay intact! I have reheated carbonara before and still liked it a lot!
- Feel free to experiment and make your own carbonara dish. You can add garlic, parsley, chicken, butter, red pepper, and even frozen peas. Those might not be the traditional creamy carbonara ingredients, but who said you can’t make this recipe your own?
- If you want your pasta to stay creamy for longer you might want to add a bit of heavy cream to the sauce. This is what cooks do in restaurants to keep their carbonara looking fresh and creamy for longer periods of time!
FAQ
Why Does My Carbonara Curdle?
If you don’t stir your pasta enough or leave the sauce on high heat, your eggs might scramble. However, the pasta dish will taste great anyway!
Can You Freeze Carbonara?
No, it is not recommended that you freeze carbonara pasta. In fact, it is not recommended to even let it sit in the fridge as the sauce will thicken a lot and the pasta will not be creamy anymore.
More pasta recipes to try!
Gluten-Free Spaghetti Carbonara
Equipment
- 1 medium size saucepan
- 1 large metal mixing bowl
- 1 pair of tongs for pasta
- 1 whisk
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 200 grams gluten-free spaghetti pasta
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 45-50 grams Italian cheese Parmesan, Pecorino, Grana Padano
- 40-45 grams pancetta or bacon I use raw bacon
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more for serving
- 1 tbsp salt for pasta water
SAVE THIS RECIPE!💌
Instructions
- The process will require quick action, so it is best to be prepared with all your tools ahead of time. Make sure you have: a pan for frying the meat, a metal bowl for the egg mixture, tongs for handling pasta, a spatula to stir the bacon, a whisk for the eggs.
- Boil some water in a kettle and fill the pot just enough to cover the pasta. You want to have as much starch as possible in the pasta water to create the perfect creaminess for your carbonara, for this reason you don’t want to use a huge pot with way too much water.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cover the pot. You want to stir your pasta in the beginning so that it doesn’t end up sticking.
- Boil the pasta for about 9-10 minutes or until al dente (not quite yet done, but almost).
- While your pasta is boiling, chop the bacon (or pancetta) and fry it for about 7 minutes in olive oil on low heat.
- While the meat is sizzling away and the pasta is swimming in a hot bath we will prepare the egg and cheese mix. Add the egg and the egg yolks together and whisk. Grate the cheese, add the black pepper, and whisk to combine. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
- When your pasta is ready, transfer it from the pot to the frying pan where the bacon is. Swirl the pasta a little bit so that it pics up the pork fat and the oil from the pan. Leave in the pan until the next step.
- Scoop about ½ cup of pasta water out and set aside. Bring the rest of the pasta water to a simmer and place the metal bowl with eggs over it to create a double boiler (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water or the eggs will curdle). Add the pasta to the eggs and start stirring vigorously to make sure you don’t create scrambled eggs. Add the pasta water you set aside to the mix to add more creaminess to the sauce.
- If you think your sauce is too thin, then keep the pasta over the boiler for longer until the liquids evaporate and the sauce thickens. If your sauce is too thick, then add more pasta water!
- Serve carbonara right away as the sauce will become hard overtime. Top with some black pepper and grated cheese!
Alex says
Looks and sounds delicious! I will have to try this!
Natashashome says
Thank you! You definitely should if you haven't yet! 🙂